Today's Stock Market News and Earnings Calendar

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Today's stock market news, Feb. 26, 2014: The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.17% on Tuesday, closing at 16,179.66. The Nasdaq lost 0.13% to finish at 4,287.59, while the S&P 500 also dropped by 0.13% to end at 1,845.12. U.S. stock futures were positive this morning, ahead of retailer earnings and new-home sales data.

Here are the events moving markets today.

Five Biggest Stories in Today's Stock Market, Feb. 26, 2014

The Bitcoin Subpoena: Federal prosecutors in New York issued a subpoena to failed Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, ordering it to preserve "certain documents." Mt. Gox was once the world's largest bitcoin exchange, but it abruptly stopped trading on Tuesday. According to reports, hackers may have stolen more than $390 million from Mt. Gox investors, prompting immediate concerns about the future of the unregulated virtual currency. Bitcoin prices plunged 20%, below $500 for the first time since November.

Banks Behaving Badly (Again): On Tuesday evening, Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) announced it faces investigations surrounding its activities in the Forex markets and its processing of government-backed mortgages. The bank is highly concerned about rising litigation costs in the coming months – it believes it could lose more than $6 billion in litigation and settlement costs, a 20% increase from previous estimates.

Rebuilding America: In a speech today at the historic railroad state in St. Paul, Minn., U.S. President Barack Obama will propose a four-year, $302-billion infrastructure program to rebuild and repair the U.S. highway system, including roads and bridges. President Obama plans to fund half of the program, or $150 billion, by overhauling the U.S. business tax code, which includes the closure of "unfair" loopholes and the lowering of tax rates.

First Solar Takes a Dive: Shares of First Solar Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) slumped by more than 12% in post-hours trading after the company announced fourth-quarter earnings down 58% on weaker sales and margins. Earnings remain volatile in the solar industry, although First Solar's outlook remains positive due to its recently setting a record for conversion efficiency of 20.4% from a glass panel made of cadmium telluride.

Note: The Fed's 2014 taper means volatility ahead. So we've outlined how to find profits in a volatile market – like triple-digit gains in just days – if you start with this strategy…

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